Serene Lakes and Donner Summit

Serene Lakes, only a short drive from Lake Tahoe, offer the visitor the perfect location for paddling, hiking, camping and fishing in a peaceful and pristine environment.

Not far from Lake Tahoe, you can enjoy some solitude and great outdoor recreation at the Serene Lakes near Donner Summit.

Donner Summit

7,000 feet and 34 feet average annual snowfall. Beautiful scenery. Fascinating history. Lots to do. Stand in one spot on Donner Summit and you see opportunity: mountain peaks, meadows, the source of three major California rivers, forests, trails, bike routes, and hiking paths. You also see the parade of a rich history that formed California: the path of the Native Americans who left petroglyphs and grinding stones; the trails of the wagon trains; the bed of the first transcontinental railroad and its great 1867 Sierra Tunnel; the Lincoln Highway, America’s first transcontinental highway; and Interstate 80, one of California’s major arteries. Many of the people who formed California, came over Donner Pass. Donner Summit is also the Sierra Divide where storms spend most of their time, dropping 35-40 feet of snow a year, making skiing a major industry and making the Sierra a “reservoir” for the rest of the state.